Chapter 4

I didn't mind. I deserved this as I owed Mira and my father too much.

My mistakes had taken Mira's mother from her and robbed my father of his wife and sister.

Mira deserved to shine, and I deserved to disappear.

I belonged in the shadows until everyone finally forgot the pain we all carried.

But when I was fourteen, I forgot I was supposed to be the sinner and caused a scene at a gathering.

That day, my father invited one of his business partners to come with his family.

Mira ran up to me in her new dress and asked, "Summer, how do I look?"

Tall and fair-skinned, Mira looked good in almost any outfit.

I nodded and went back to my homework, but something felt wrong.

I looked up again and saw the pearl necklace around her neck.

The pearls were round and radiant, gleaming with an iridescent sheen under the light.

I stood up sharply. "Mira, where did you get that necklace?"

She glanced down, "Oh, from your mother's jewelry box," she said casually.

I frowned at her response.

That necklace was a gift from my grandmother to my mother, meant for me one day.

I didn't care about its price. What mattered was the sentiment it carried, and more than anything, it was a promise from my mother.

I took a deep breath and reached out. "Mira, take off the necklace. My mother said it was for me. Please don't touch her things."

Mira froze and clutched her neck. "Just for today's event, please?"

I shook my head firmly.

If it were something my father had bought for me, I would have given it to her without hesitation.

But this necklace was my mother's.

Mira bit her lip and reached behind her neck. However, she tugged a little too hard and the necklace snapped.

The pearls dropped and scattered across the floor, with some rolling under the bed, others beneath the table.

Each clink echoed in my ears like a sharp drill, boring straight into my heart.

Before I could stop myself, my hand flew and struck Mira across the face.

She froze in shock.

I was stunned too, but snapped out of it and scrambled to collect the pearls.

Especially the biggest one under the bed, now covered in dust. It was the most precious of them all.

Mira burst into tears and ran downstairs.

I picked up every last pearl, stuffed them into a small pouch, and clutched them to my chest.

Then I heard my father's furious voice downstairs. "Summer Hart!"

His rage filled the house. "Come downstairs right now!"

I tucked the pearls away in a drawer and hurried down, meeting disdainful stares. "What is it, Dad?" I asked.

Before I knew it, his hand came down hard across my face, and my ears rang from the blow.

It felt like my eardrum had burst. My head spun, and all I could hear was a shrill, relentless ringing that drowned out everything else.

But it wasn't enough for my father.

He raised his hand again, but Mira threw herself between us. "Stop! She's bleeding from her nose!" she cried.

Only then did I feel the warmth of blood trickling down my face, dripping onto my white pajamas, and blooming into red stains.

My father glared at me and spat through clenched teeth, "You killed my sister. Now you hit her only child. I thought you were better than this, Summer Hart."

He continued, emphasizing each word slowly, "You disgust me."

I staggered, feeling utterly helpless at his words.

Hadn't he once promised to love me?

Why was he that hateful father again?

Tears welled up as I stammered, "But she broke the necklace…"

He snapped back, "This entire house and everything in it is mine. Nothing belongs to you unless I decide to give it to you."

Holding Mira close, he said coldly, "Don't think you can bully her just because she's lost her parents. As long as I'm here, I won't let that happen."

Then he told the driver to take Mira out to buy a new necklace, whatever she wanted, no matter the price.

He told me to go back to my room and forbade me from having dinner.

As I left, I wanted to tell him that the necklace belonged to his late wife, the woman he once loved.

But I said nothing.

Even I, my mother's own child, was slapped without hesitation. Why should a necklace matter?

I climbed the stairs, feeling every gaze burning into my back.

"She's Summer Hart? The one who killed her mother and aunt, right?" someone whispered.

"Yes," another voice responded, "and she even hit her cousin. No wonder Mr. Hart always only brings Mira out instead."

"Exactly. Mira's all sunshine and charm. But that one? Always looks like a storm's hanging over her."

I walked up the stairs as their whispers echoed behind me. My legs felt like lead. It was only a short flight, but every step took everything I had.